Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 55 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE months and last into October. But he expects to be practicing at Notre Dame sometime around the start of fall training camp in August. Admitting to some disappoint‑ ment and anxiousness to arriving on campus in June, while still in surgery rehab, Jagusah remained mature be‑ yond his years. "I look at this as an opportunity to focus on the technical side, get stronger with my upper body," Jag‑ usah said, "and just try to work more mentally than physically." And talk about a tough cookie, Ja g u sa h s u f fe re d t h e i n j u ry i n Week 2 of his senior football sea‑ son. He never even realized it, played through it and still thrived. Jagusah wasn't even made aware of the PCL tear until Notre Dame team doctors found it during a routine physical scan. "Everyone seems to think I dodged a bullet," Jagusah explained. "A PCL injury you can walk around and be fine with it. It's not like an ACL tear where you can't walk." Jagusah predicted he'll be "bored and bummed" during surgical re‑ covery, but ready for his rehab and his freshman year at Notre Dame to begin. What Jagusah will never get back, though, is his senior season of wrestling, another passion of his. An undefeated heavyweight Illinois state champion as a junior in 2021‑22, Jagusah went 41‑0 that season and pinned his way through the state tournament for a Class 1A title at 285. "Physically in terms of football, wrestling helped me a lot with my balance and my timing, anticipa‑ tion and reaction," Jagusah said. "But I think mentally it's even big‑ ger, showing me how to work hard and be consistent with it." Fortunately for the competi‑ tion, Jagusah's knee injury stole any chance for him to defend his state title as senior this year. WELCOME TO NOTRE DAME I n t h e s u m m e r o f 2 02 1 , t h e thought of Jagusah committing to Notre Dame a year later didn't seem likely following a lukewarm recruit‑ ing relationship with the Notre Dame staff under former head coach Brian Kelly. "No, Notre Dame wasn't a big school on my recruiting radar, until the new staff came in. I didn't have a lot of contact [with the previous group]," Jagusah recalled. "With the new guys coming in, and kind of changing the culture a little bit, it showed me a different side of the school that I had never seen." Jagusah also explained how the return of Harry Hiestand in 2022 as Notre Dame's offensive line coach further piqued his interest in the Irish. "There's something about Coach Hiestand," Jagusah said. "Just talk‑ ing to him on the phone motivates you to get better." And while recovery from surgery will delay Jagusah's immediate de‑ velopment, his recruiting profile suggests all will work out just fine. A five‑star player based on On3 rankings, Jagusah earned a 98 player rating from the recruiting service, making him the highest‑rated player in the Fighting Irish 2023 recruiting class. For perspective, Jagusah's 96.04 consensus rating is the third best for a Notre Dame offensive line recruit in the 23 years that such lists have been archived. Only Sam Young in 2000 and Tommy Kraemer in 2016 rated higher, placing Jagusah — at least out of high school — ahead of elite former Irish NFL linemen Quenton Nelson, Ronnie Stanley, Zack Mar‑ tin and current Irish starting right tackle Blake Fisher, just to highlight a few. With those credentials, what i s No t re Da m e ge t t i n g , Coa c h Dieudonné? "What is Notre Dame getting?" Dieudonné asked back in contem‑ plation. "As a player Charles is big‑ ger and faster, and more athletic in person than film will ever show you. "And the scariest part — and he probably doesn't even realize it — is that he hasn't even scratched the surface. That's what Notre Dame is getting." ✦ CHARLES JAGUSAH OFFENSIVE TACKLE 6-6 · 300 ALLEMAN H.S. ROCK ISLAND, ILL. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 25 4 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 66 7 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 166 9 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 46 8 1 NOTABLE • Invited to play in the 2023 All-American Bowl but couldn't participate due to a knee injury suffered during his senior year. • 2022 Quad-City Times Male Athlete of the Year. • Had a perfect 41-0 season as a heavyweight wrestler in Illinois as a junior and was the 2022 champion in the class A state tournament. • 2022 and 2021 All-Western Big 6 conference first- team offense and defense. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on June 30, 2022. • Picked the Fighting Irish over Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri and others. • Recruited by offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. • Visited Notre Dame six times, including his official visit on June 19, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Jagusah will likely redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Alleman head coach Fritz Dieudonné per the Quad City Times: "What's crazy for me to think about is how much potential he still has. Charles is insanely gifted, but his ceiling is still so high. His ability to maximize the coaching, exposure and snaps he's had in the Western Big 6 has gotten him ready for the next level. With a coach like Coach [Harry] Hiestand, I'm excited to see how much better he can be." On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "Jagusah's reactive quickness, coordination, natural balance and strong base stand out relative to his peers. We also saw him turn in a dominant undefeated season as a heavyweight wrestler during his junior year. The balance and focus on the technical aspect of wrestling translates to playing offensive line. "His frame checks out as well at a verified 6-foot-6, 300 pounds with length and big hands. Jagusah may need some time to adjust to increased speed of the game as he doesn't face top competition at the high school level." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He's a Notre Dame-type kid. He's studious and confident. He has great size. I don't think he's a five-star yet, but he has that kind of potential. I think once he gets with Harry Hiestand, he could develop into a first-round draft choice. He has the great size, length and is a very good athlete. It's a great match between him and Hiestand. "He's in the same mold as Ronnie Stanley and Mike McGlinchey with his potential as a tackle. Hiestand is probably the most well-respected offensive line coach in college football, and Charles has the ability to be developed."